Wednesday, March 25, 2015

In two weeks, I will be twenty two. If you asked eight year old me what she thought I'd be doing at this age, she'd probably tell you that I would be a successful dog groomer, astronaut, or penguin (or all three), with a big house, at least five pet dogs in the backyard, and a fridge full of delicious snacks. Unfortunately these dreams are all still yet to become reality, so I've distracted myself in the best way I know how- by compiling a list of material goods that I wish I owned. If there was one thing my mother really managed to engrain in me as a child, it was writing wishlists, and I know she'll be reading this so hi mum, you've created a monster.

Katy Perry Killer Queen: Spring Reign 100ml - Every time I walk past a chemist with this on display I have to stop and spray myself with way too much of it. It smells of sweet, fresh flowers and the pink theme is so cute that I feel like Katy was thinking about me when she thought this up. She probably wasn't, but I can dream, right?

Nintendo 3DS XL Console with Animal Crossing and Pokemon Y - I have never had a handheld gaming console and I feel like I've missed out on something, so better late than never right? And it would be nice to have something to play with on days when I'm stuck in bed.

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - The holy grail of nude eyeshadow palettes, and it's coming to Australia! Urban Decay goes on sale at Mecca Maxima and the Mecca website on the 27th of March and I am so excited. I've been dying to get my stumpy li'l mitts on one of these babies for what feels like forever, and it'll be available just in time for my birthday so... nudge nudge haha!

The Ultimate Lush Gift - I mean, anything from Lush is an awesome gift, but these babies are my favourites. Yuzu Bubbleroon, Honey I Washed The Kids shower gel, Cupcake Fresh Face Mask, Butterball bath bomb, Fluffy Egg bath bomb, The Comforter bubble bar, Vanishing Cream moisturiser, and the Rockstar/Godmother soap stack are almost all so tastily scented that they make my mouth water a little, just imagining what opening a gift box full of these products would smell like - heaven I bet!

Saturday, March 21, 2015

I've been having trouble thinking of things to write posts on lately because honestly, not much has happened for me lately. I haven't been able to find the motivation to put on a nice outfit or do my makeup, I haven't been anywhere other than uni, and honestly I've just been feeling really down in the dumps. It's all of the usual things I beat myself up about - my skin looks gross, my eyebrows have taken on a life of their own, my tummy looks a lot squishier than normal and it seems as if I have more split ends than whole ones. I'm mad at myself for not having the drive to put on anything nicer than leggings and a big t-shirt, and I don't seem to be able to do anything other than sit on the couch without needing a nap.

I know that this all reads like a bit of a sob story, but I promise that it's going somewhere.

Today while I was catching up on my television viewing (I don't know how I got so far behind because it's not as if I'm busy) I watched the latest episode of The Mindy Project, and it really hit home for me. It was all about how the main character, Mindy, was dealing with a serious lack of self confidence due to her pregnancy weight gain, and there was one particular lined delivered by the ever-fabulous Laverne Cox that made me pause the show and stare at the screen for about ten minutes because I had a total revelation/out of body experience.

Firstly, let me applaud this show for having such amazing female characters who are so supportive of each other, and who work to build each other up - I am so happy that this is becoming a thing in mainstream media because it's about bloody time. Secondly, this line was truly something else, and I'm sure I wasn't the only person who really thought hard about it for a long time after they finished watching.

I will admit it, I am an absolute shocker when it comes to negative self talk. I don't know when I started doing it or where I learned it from, but I honestly can't remember ever not being mean to myself. Whether it's about my looks, my smarts, or something dumb I did ten years ago, I put myself down ALL THE TIME, and I definitely don't think I'm alone. We are bombarded with advertising that tells us we need to change. We need to buy these razors so we can remove all the disgusting hair from our bodies, we need to buy this makeup because sure, we're already nice looking but we need to make ourselves beautiful, we need to lose ten kilos in two weeks because fat is ugly but we can't go too far because being too skinny isn't good either. Girls are taught from such a young age that saying good things about themselves is vain and unattractive, so we learn to put ourselves down because no one wants to be a tall poppy. Remembering many of the conversations I had with my friends as a teenager makes me so sad, because it always went the same way: one girl would say she didn't like something about herself, and the next would say that she was being silly and that whatever she thought was wrong with herself was so much worse, and it would go on and on until it turned into what seemed like we were all in competition to hate ourselves the most.

The concept of being your own best friend is nothing new, but it's something that I am ready to teach myself. This scene was the turning point for me to decide to unlearn all of the terrible, negative habits I'm so used to and to take a step back and really look at what I'm saying to myself. When I think that I'm not looking my best, I will remind myself that it's okay to not look like a million bucks all the time and comfort is what's really important. When I've made an effort and I look in the mirror and nitpick all the things I don't like about my hair and my face and whatever else, I will remind myself that I am smart and I am kind and that's what makes me cute, not whether or not my hair is perfect or my skin is baby butt smooth. When I feel like I'm not smart, I will remind myself that there is nothing I can't work out when I put my mind to it because I am a creative thinker who is good at finding fresh perspectives. And when I feel like I am not a perfect angel who looks like a model in a magazine because I can't afford whatever some giant corporation is trying to sell me, I will remind myself that corporations are run by straight white men and I won't give them the satisfaction of making me feel like anything less than a super babe.

It won't be easy, but it's about time I retrained my brain, and you are all more than welcome to join me - let's make 2015 the year of us!

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

You might have noticed the lack of beauty reviews on my blog lately, I sure have! I think the thing I hate most about not working is not being able to buy make up - I'm having some serious withdrawals! And of course because I can't buy any new products, I can't write any reviews. So I thought that I would make a list of all the products I'm pining for, and that I would review if I could!

Colourpop Lippie Stix - Since the news about Lime Crime being shady as hell came to light (read more here) I've been looking for other lipstick companies to give my business to, and Colourpop looks amazing. They have a massive assortment of colours, including the more far out shades of mint green and lilac, and the best part is they're all only $5! I've read a lot of reviews, and the formula looks much smoother and more even than Lime Crime's, some of which I've found to be quite patchy and flakey. Each colour has a matching pencil liner available too. The shades pictured here are Rocket, Cookie, Fetch, Go Fish, and Bossy.

Makeup Revolution Blushing Hearts - These are pretty obviously a dupe for Too Faced's Sweethearts blushes, and I'm not mad about it because I absolutely love my Sweetheart but at $39 it's very much an indulgence product for me. Enter the Blushing Hearts range - they're only $9.90 each, they come in so many shades, and there are also baked highlighters and bronzers available. The shades pictured here are Blushing Hearts, Goddess of Love, and Peachy Keen.

Makeup Revolution Ultra Aqua Brow - I am no different from any other lady in her twenties in that I am obsessed with my eyebrows being perfect. I've been using eyeshadow to fill in my brows for nearly three years now, but I'm intrigued by liquid brow products. I love eyebrows that look almost painted on, so I'm very keen to try Ultra Aqua Brow at some point. It's only $5.95 compared to the $16.20 of Anastasia DipBrow that everyones losing their minds over at the moment, so even if it doesn't work out it wouldn't be a huge loss!

Australis AC On Tour Contour Kit - It seems to me that contour kits are the must have product of 2015 so far, and this Australis one has sold out across the country! I've read a lot of great reviews and swatched the product in store myself, and I'm so keen to try it. I'm such a contouring novice that I need all the help I can get, and for $16.95 I think it's a fairly reasonably priced lesson.

Too Faced Cocoa Contouring Kit - This contour kit doesn't seem to be available in Australia yet, and I'm sure once it is it'll retail for around the $68 mark (it's $40 US on the Sephora website, but as we Australians know we're subject to some of the most ridiculous markups on cosmetics). I have the Chocolate Soleil bronzer from Too Faced and I LOVE it, so I assume this kit would be similar - silky smooth and chocolate scented. Hopefully it will be on our shores later in the year and Santa will be super nice to me!

Kat Von D Lock-It Primer & Tattoo Foundation - Sephora still don't have an Australian website but after some Googling I found that the Tattoo Foundation retails for $49 (In the states it's $34, so much for price matching Sephora ya jerks!), though I wasn't able to find the price for the primer. I used a squirt of this foundation from my friend Zoe's bottle while I was in Melbourne last year and I loved it - I mixed it with a pump of Revlon ColourStay and it made my makeup last so much longer than usual, and it gave a really even coverage. I'm a Kat fan from her days on Miami Ink and I would watch it religiously when I was 14, and I really love the look of her line so hopefully Sephora will open a store in Adelaide at some point and I can snoop around her products close up!

Is there anything you think I've missed? What beauty products are you hankering after at the moment? Let me know in the comments!

Monday, March 2, 2015

I love it when it starts to get cold. Hot chocolate, scarves, wooly cardigans, my birthday... Autumn is the best season. The only thing that bums me out (aside from having to take off a million layers of clothing whenever I go inside, only to have to put it back on again when I go back outside) is how cold weather clothes are always so, well, dull - just because the weather is dreary doesn't mean your clothes have to match! Luckily, the good folks at my favourite store ever have us covered when it comes to cute and cozy threads. I love that Dangerfield are as into dog themed knitwear as I am, no wardrobe is complete without at least one puppy sweater. Long live winter woolies!

Sunday, March 1, 2015

In case you hadn't noticed, circle lenses are my new favourite beauty product. I love how they completely transform my face, and these Vassen lenses kindly sent to me by the good folk at Pinky Paradise me feel almost a little bit otherworldly!

The neat thing about having blue eyes is that they seem to blend very well with different shades of lenses, the only way you can see my natural eye colour is when my pupils shrink in the direct sunlight. The colour of these lenses is SO intense, it took me a little while to adjust to and at first I wasn't sure whether or not they suited me, but after I got used to them I loved the colour! I think it's because I was expecting an Elizabeth Taylor shade of violet eyes, not super bright purple haha.

Top: without lenses
Middle: one lens
Bottom: both lenses
All with no flash, natural light, + no filter

These lenses are 14.5/15 millimetres in diameter so they offer a lot of enlargement. They're also very comfortable! Now that I know what to expect when it comes to wearing contact lenses it only took me one try to get them in, and there was only a little bit of eye watering as I got used to them. Aside from an occasional flash of purple when one of the lenses moved a little bit when I blinked, they were very comfortable to wear. They're obviously not very natural, but they're not so strange that you'd scare small children if you wore them out shopping or something!